Chubbs

April of 2013, a stray cat that we'd be feeding to keep the mice down gave birth to a liter of kittens. Brielle almost couldn't handle the cuteness of our new baby residents and spent every opportunity she could with them. She wanted them to be hers.

I read what I could about domesticating feral cats, and knew that even if we were successful with one, Mama cat could {and most likely would} chase them off. But we gave in. How do you say "no" to an animal lover like Brielle?

  

We ended up picking out the one that seemed the most friendly. The name "Chubbs" was only used an identifier at first, but it stuck and became official.

 

Brielle did everything she needed to in order to get Chubbs used to being at our house, being around people, and most importantly, being around the dog. She spent countless hours in the barn. She'd bring Chubbs up to the house and play with him in the back yard and in the garage, until one day, he'd just come on his own.

LOVE the way he curls his tail around her arm. He knew she'd take care of him.

She'd spend a lot of time monitoring the interactions between Chubbs and Izzy. They needed to become friends and not enemy's if this was going to work.

She was invested in making Chubbs our new family pet and she did it. Everything we hoped would happen, did, because Brielle made sure of it. Chubbs ate and slept at our house, though he'd wander back to the barn on occasion to be with his mom and sisters. Chubbs never missed a day to greet Brielle when she got home from school. He even came when Brielle called.

Chubbs and Izzy became the best of friends. In the winter, they'd snuggle to keep warm, and when warm, you'd see them lounging in the sun together. Chubbs would lay on his back and attempt to catch her wagging tail, or pounce on her back when she ran past him.

And that is what makes the loss of this kitty so devastating. An attachment and connection was formed between Brielle and Chubbs that is making it extremely hard for her to overcome. On our way home from an RSL game late Saturday night, we received not one, but two calls from friends saying they Chubbs had been hit by a car in front of our house. 

Brielle had been asleep in the car when we got home, so we took her house and broke the bad news. It wasn't until later that night {I'm guessing 3 am} that she absorbed what had happened. Since then, there has been a lot of crying, many tears and sleepless nights. She's spent a lot of time alone, which she says she prefers. She's grieving, and it breaks this mama's heart.

Chubbs will be missed, and I'm 100% certain, cannot be replaced. Chris reminded Brielle that pets were never meant to outlive their owners. It's a hard lesson to learn, but with multiple animals, its inevitable that it will happen again.